Design Tips for Easier Removal of Smoke Odor from Your Home

Even if it’s been a few days, the smell won’t escape you. So, if you had a guest who’s a smoker, or if you’ve just moved into a home where the previous residents smoked regularly, the odor will probably bother you greatly. Opening a window might give you some momentary relief, but only until your sense of smell adjusts, and then you’ll be able to smell the smoke again. Fortunately, there are some ways to remove this unpleasant smell from your home. Here are the most efficient ones.

Air it out

The first thing you should do is open all the windows in your home and create a draught. This should help you get rid of the stale and smelly air in the room. And although this is only a partial solution, since smoke can penetrate anything from curtains and carpets to furniture and even walls, it will help you get started. Other than opening windows, turning on any fans you have might be useful as well. The most important thing is that the air is flowing.

Purify the air

Aside from being plain irritating, smoke is also very unhealthy to breathe in, especially in a family home where there are children present. This is why reliable air purifiers for smoke are a great investment to consider. The carbon ones are the best choice, due to their ability to remove 99.9% of any smoke particles from the air, whether its cigarette smoke or wildfire one. This is the smartest thing you can do for the health of your own and the lungs of your little ones, and the most effective way to get rid of smoke from the air in no time.

Use vinegar for odor control

When it comes to natural cleaning products which can remove odors, there aren’t many things better than vinegar. So, if your home smells of smoke, fill half a bucket with a combination of water and vinegar. Use two thirds of water and one-third of vinegar. Soak a clean mop, towel, or microfiber cloth in the water and vinegar, then squeeze it to remove some, but not all, of the moisture from it. Using this half-wet mop or cloth, wipe any hard surfaces, such as walls, floors, furniture, and counters. Don’t worry if you feel some lingering vinegar smell after you’re done, since it will disappear on its own in a few days.

Turn to baking soda for help

Another amazing, natural product which can be used for maintaining the cleanliness of your home is definitely baking soda. It can absorb odors, but also unwanted moisture from the air. Its use is simple. Just sprinkle it over your carpets, beds, sofas, and chair seats, and leave it overnight or even for 24 hours. After that, vacuum everything thoroughly and check if the odor is gone. If it isn’t, you can repeat the process until you can’t smell the smoke any more. Another thing you can do is to leave little bowls of baking soda in the corners of your rooms so that it soaks up the smell of smoke and leaves the air a bit fresher.

Other ways to remove smoke odor

Vinegar and baking soda aren’t the only natural products that can contain odors. For example, you can place some charcoal in bowls around your rooms, either activated charcoal or the regular briquettes, and it will function as sort of an air filter. Also, instead of the charcoal, you can use dried coffee grounds. Just put them in small bowls all around the room and leave them for a day or two. If there’s still some smoke in the air after that, replace them with a new batch and repeat the process.

Replace the odor with a nice scent

A good idea would also be to use something with a more appealing scent to make the air in your home smell nicer. Although scented candles might do the trick, you can also add a few drops of vanilla extract into some water and then soak some cotton balls in it, which then you can put in different spots in your room. Plus, you can soak up a sponge in this vanilla-water and use it to scrub any flat surfaces. Finally, you can heat some of it, so that it releases the pleasant scent more quickly and intensely. And if that’s not enough, you can slice some apples and leave them in the open for several hours. Not only will they eliminate the horrible smell of smoke, but they will also leave the air with the wonderful smell of fresh apples.

Smoke is both annoying and unhealthy, but luckily, there are some great ways to get rid of it. Follow these tips and have your home smelling nicely in no time.